The original (and maybe only) blog that focuses on the restaurants and foods of the Lake Norman Area. I discreetly visit area restaurants and post my own unbiased reviews. I hope you enjoy. Bon Appetit!

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Thursday, June 4, 2009

Lupie's Cafe (Huntersville)

Over the past 18 months, I've grown to like it here. The winters are mild, the backyards are big, and the people are friendly. But I just found another reason to like the Lake Norman area -- Lupie's Cafe.

I walked in to Lupie's yesterday not knowing what I'd find. I knew only two things about Lupie's Cafe. 1) It's across the street from the Huntersville City Hall, and 2) It's across the parking lot from Toast. So, with that limited knowledge, I walked in the door hoping to find a good meal. But I found something even better... CHILI!!

In case you didn't know, I love me some chili. For the better part of a decade, I worked near a chili restaurant called Hard Times. Hard Times has some amazing chili that is put on everything from fries and salads, to burgers and hot dogs. You name it, they'll top it with chili. So, after I moved here, I suffered some serious chili withdrawal. And on the few occasions that I ordered chili dogs in area restaurants, I was seriously disappointed.

Until yesterday, that is.

After I took a seat at Lupie's and ordered a sweet tea, I looked over the menu. I quickly settled on a Big Dog with Texas Chili. I was excited, the last time I had a good Chili Dog was when I last visited Hard Times, so I was anxious to see if an area restaurant could deliver the goods. Fortunately, they did.

The Big Dog is at least 1/4 lb of meat in a large toasted hot-dog bun with sesame seeds. It was then topped with Texas style chili, onions, and cheese. (Thank goodness I wasn't on a date with my wife -- after this meal, my breath would have made her run for the hills!) One of the things I liked most about this dog was the fact that I didn't need a fork to eat it. The bun was large enough to contain the chili so I could eat it with my hands without spilling. Truly an amazing feat of hot dog engineering!

Remaining true to the Texas style, this chili wasn't made with tomatoes, and apparently was simmered with beer for six hours. The chili had plenty of flavor and a slight kick of heat. Enough heat so I could notice, but not enough so that my tongue was on fire. I'll definitely need to try their chili mac when I get a chance.

The only disappointment during the meal was the generic potato chips. A chili dog needs fries, IMHO. However, the chili dog was big enough to fill me up, so I only had a couple of chips anyhow.

Score:Atmosphere: 3/5Food: 4/5Service: 4/5Total: 11/15Price: $ (meal AND drink were under $6)Kid Friendly: Yes. But you might want to think twice about feeding your child chili if he/she is still in diapers!

Conclusion: One of the best values around. The service was quick and friendly. And the food was quite tasty. I'll definitely recommend this place to my friends.